to the effect that the French intended to form a settlement in Van Diemen's Land, On the 18th King formall}^ presented his compliments to Lt.-Gov, Paterson, requesting him to fiirnish information
- in order that Governor Kin^f may take the necessary steps
which he cannot hut himent he had not an opportunity of doing before he closed his despatches/* Paterson evasively replied that lie considered what he had heard " common- place conversation," which he would have communicated,
- but that he could not suppose it was unknown to
Governor King," He added in a postscript: *'One of the officers who spoke of it sent CoL Paterson the accom- panying charts." King (again on the 18th) told Paterson that had he ever heard the rumour he would " certainly have required a positive explanation from the French com* modorCj and would have taken a vessel up to have preceded any attempt. . , - As I have been kept ignorant of it until their departure, itonly remains for me to counteract them. It is therefore necessary that an officer of the rank of captain, and a»many n on- eotii missioned officers and privates as can he accommodated, aliould be sent by a conveyance that I hope wUl be able to leave this in seven days, in order to assert His Majesty's clainia and dispossess and remove any party that may be landed there. I shall take leave to retain the chart given to you by the French officer (until a copy <]an be made) who spoke to you of the aettlemeut intended to be made/' The ** conveyance which i^vas to be the means of assert- ing His Majesty^B claims was the colonial armed schooner CHmherlaud {mentioned sometimes as of 26, and sometimes aa of 29 tons burden). Her commander was to be young Charles Eohbins,^^ master's mate of H.M.S. Buffalo, who was to be endowed ** with the territorial rank of captain," The Surveyor- General of the colony, Grimes, was to accompany the warhke expedition, which was to go to King's Island and Port Phillip, and thence to Storm Bay,
- taking care to hoist His Majesty's colours every day on
shore during your examination of those places, placing a guard of two men at each place, who are to turn up ground for a garden, and sow the seeds you are furnished with,'* H.M.S. Porpoise was to follow, on her return from Tahiti with pork, and the King*3 colours were to be **kept flying
- Robbins entered the navy in 1798^ being then aixt^n years of &ge« H«
WAS bom Hi BzLrnataple in Devonshire.
